Babysitting Jacen
by lothcat1138
Summary: Small stories about people looking after Jacen Syndulla.


**So this is something very different from me and not like anything I've done before. I wanted to give myself a break from my other story to make sure I don't burn out too quickly so I decided to put this idea together since I've had it tucked away for a while.**

 **To put it lightly, I'm not Jacen's biggest fan. It's not a character issue as much as a design issue, that little piece of broccoli doesn't sit right with me. Still, he's half Kanan and half Hera so I've got to make peace with his existence. This is sort of my way of doing that by writing three short stories about Jacen growing up.**

 **This one is about Cham looking after his grandson some time during the Original Trilogy, not long after Episode 4. Jacen is still a baby and is being left on Ryloth for a week or two while Hera is off on mission elsewhere.**

* * *

Cham had only seen his grandson twice before but he loved him more than almost anything. It didn't matter one bit that he wasn't a Twi'lek or wasn't from Ryloth, he was every bit a Syndulla as he was. So when his darling daughter has kindly asked him to look after the child for a few weeks, he jumped at the chance. Ryloth was mostly liberated thanks to the efforts of the resistance groups and with their attention distracted by the Rebel Alliance it was unlikely the Empire would try to return. That made it one of the safer places for Jacen to be while his mother was flying against the Empire. He'd helped his wife raise Hera for years before the Clone War so Cham felt he was perfectly capable of caring for his grandson for a few weeks. His daughter, apparently, wasn't so sure.

"He hasn't got any allergies but he shouldn't be having anything other than milk anyway", Hera explained in her slight Rylothi accent as she gently passed the sleeping child into her father's arms. "He sleeps most of the day but when he's awake he'll stay that way for a while. He doesn't like a light when he sleeps, he hates baths but make sure he gets them, lullabies work but not the long ones."

"Yes, daughter. We'll be fine", Cham assured her as his sleeping grandson nestled into him.

His daughter ignored him, "There's a few changes of clothes in the bag, extra milk, cleaning stuff and all the other things too."

Gobi and Numa were standing beside him, looking more than a bit nervous. They'd insisted on helping him out for the time Jacen was here, they were almost family anyway so Cham had welcomed it.

"He'll also want a bit of attention every now and again, I think he gets lonely when he doesn't see another face so make sure you don't go too far."

Cham nodded, "Don't worry about it."

"Keep him out of the sun too", Hera warned, "I don't want him getting sunburn, human skin can't take it like we can. Also keep him out of the cold too, and the rain if you get any. Just keep him inside."

"I've got it, daughter."

"And don't you forget about the baths, he'll stink otherwise", she told him sternly.

"Hera", Cham reached out his other arm to her shoulder, "He'll be fine, we'll take good care of him. You turned out fine, didn't you?"

"If I remember it was mother who looked after me most of the time", his daughter smiled.

"Well, yes but I helped."

Hera shook her head, "If you say so, father."

"He'll be safe, you just worry about yourself", Cham pulled her to his side for a hug before she left.

"Alright, alright", Hera sighed and planted a kiss on Jacen's forehead. The child barely stirred at the touch, still staying fast asleep. "I'll call every day if I can."

"Yes, dear. Don't worry about it, he's in good hands", Cham squeezed her shoulder. "Safe journeys, daughter."

His daughter smiled and reluctantly headed back up the Ghost's access ramp, looking back more than a few times at her son. "Remember, call me the moment you need anything."

Cham chuckled, "Stop worrying, it'll be fine."

She was just like her mother, always worrying and always caring. Of course, she had a bit of him in her too so she couldn't stay here when there was a cause to fight for. Cham waved her off as she shut the ramp and disappeared into the ship. He watched his daughter fly into the sky, off to fight another battle in some distant corner of the galaxy.

"So, uh, what do we do now?", Numa asked.

Cham turned and held the boy carefully, "Let's get him to bed, Hera said he sleeps like a log."

Gobi picked up the bag of stuff Hera had left for them and followed as Cham carried his grandson into the house. _This will be easy, I don't understand what she is so worried about._

* * *

The Syndulla Estate had mostly been repaired since his daughter's rather explosive solution to their Imperial problem. Most of the East wing was still damaged but the rest of the house had been restored. Cham had set up a nice bed in Hera's old room ready for Jacen, right next door to his own quarters. A freshly made bed was pushed against the wall and a shelf full of some of Hera's old possessions was beside it, keeping a bit of his daughter in the room with them.

He carried the child into the room and lay him carefully on the bed, making every effort not to disturb his sleep. Numa and Gobi stuck with him, silently following him into Jacen's room. Gobi put the bag of supplies quietly on a desk on the far side of the room and watched Cham fuss over his grandson.

"Sleep well, child", Cham pulled the blanket up over the baby's stomach. "You're a lot like your mother, you know. So peaceful. On a good day anyway", the old Twi'lek smiled softly at him and watched happily as he slept.

"I didn't expect this", Numa whispered to Gobi.

"Behind his hard exterior, Cham has a good heart", Gobi spoke softly about his old friend.

After a while, Cham turned back to them. "Gobi, Numa, we'd better put the milk into storage. The heat could make it go foul."

Numa nodded and started rummaging through the bag, "Uh, Cham? There's no milk in here."

"What?", the older man walked over and looked through it himself, "Impossible, Hera said she put it in here."

The woman shrugged, "She must have forgotten. If she's anything like you then I wouldn't be surprised."

Cham sighed happily, "Maybe she has more of me in her than she knows."

"Should we contact her? She can't have gone far", Gobi kept his voice low.

"No, it's not a problem", Cham shut the bag, "Gobi, go down to the markets. I'm sure you'll find some there."

"I won't be long", Gobi slipped out of the room quietly leaving Cham and Numa to look after Jacen alone.

Numa sighed, "I hope he isn't gone too long."

"Don't worry about it", Cham nonchalantly walked over to the bedside, "He's sound asleep, Gobi will be back before we know it."

Cham pulled up a chair by the side of the bed so he could stay close. He wanted to make sure Jacen settled in alright. The boy was still sleeping soundly, breathing slowly and deeply and sometimes dipping his head to one side or the other. Cham rested his head in his hands, keeping a careful watch over his grandson.

Numa stepped forward quietly, "I'll give you some peace. I'll be upstairs if you need anything."

"Thank you, Numa, we'll be alright", he assured her.

The woman smiled softly at the boy before disappearing out of the room. Cham settled in and leaned back in his chair, taking a rare moment to simply relax and appreciate the smaller, happier things in life.

* * *

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaah! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

A high pitched noise woke him suddenly from his sleep. He must have drifted off somehow, it was peaceful in that room and Cham so rarely sat down with nothing to do. Emphasis on ' _was'_ peaceful. The sleeping child was now awake and bawling his tiny blue eyes out.

"Waaaaaaaah!"

Cham sprung into action, "Hey now, what is wrong?"

He leaned over his grandson's bed with a concerned and slightly lost look. The tiny eyes looked up at him, for a moment Cham hoped they were recognising him and that it would calm him down. For some reason, it had the opposite effect.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"No no, child. Don't cry", Cham reached out a hand and gently stroked the baby's face. The boy shied away from the touch and screamed louder, tears pouring from his eyes.

Cham's eyes shot around the room for an answer. "What do you want?", he begged the crying child.

"Waaaaaaah!"

With a groan, Cham pulled the comm from hit waist and raised it to his mouth, "Numa, where are you?"

She answered a second later, "I'm upstairs, what's wrong?"

"Well, I-"

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Ahh, I see", Numa could hear the child's screaming from over the comm.

"Well what do I do about it?", Cham watched the boy squirm and thrash under the blankets.

"I-I don't know. Why would I know?"

Cham run his hand over his lekku, "I don't know, just get down here. I need help."

She groaned, "I'm on my way."

He slid the communicator back into his waist and nervously reached a hand out again, "It's alright, child. Numa will know what to do."

Two minutes of crying passed with Cham trying and failing to calm him down. He was praising the ancestors the moment that Numa walked through the door.

"Finally", he said, "I don't what happened, he just started crying."

Numa reached the bedside looking just as confused as Cham was. "Uh, hi there, Jacen", she smiled exaggeratedly at him.

The boy paused to look at the stranger at the foot of his bed. Numa was about to say she'd solved it when he started crying louder than ever.

"See what I mean", Chan looked wide-eyed at her.

The woman bit her lip, "I don't know what to do, I've never looked after a child before."

They both watched helplessly as the boy wailed at them, his tiny legs kicking under the blankets.

"What about a bath? Twi'lek children love the water", Numa suggested.

"No, no, human children are different. Besides, Hera said he hates them." Cham looked over to the bag of supplies for any ideas, "What about a treat or some food?"

"No", Numa whispered sharply, "He only has milk, remember?"

The old Twi'lek turned back and searched his mind for more suggestions. "Aha!", he said suddenly, "Hera said he likes lullabies."

"Ah, good idea."

Cham stared silently at her for a few seconds, "So, uh, are you going to...?"

Numa recoiled, "What? Me? What about you?"

"Me?!", Cham almost laughed, "Can you imagine me singing?"

She groaned and shut her eyes, trying to remember the old songs her parents sung to her to get her to sleep. "I - Uh... Chini, ma sareen, um...", Numa started to recall a traditional Twi'leki lullaby.

Her memory of it was rusty but she was doing her best. Still, as Cham watched her struggle out the words, he couldn't help but feel she was better at making music with her blaster than she was with her voice.

"Gah, it's not working!", Numa complained a few lines later, "He's not stopping! Can't you ring Hera?"

"No, we'll work this out", Cham told her. He stuttered and looked around desperately, "Uh, um." He spotted one of Hera's childhood toys lying on a shelf by the bed, "Here", Cham reached for the stuffed tooka, "Take this, it'll calm you down."

Cham awkwardly placed the toy beside Jacen. The crying paused as his little hands reached out for the cuddly figure and took it enthusiastically, a toothless grin on the baby's face. The crying slowed, the whimpering stopped and Jacen settled back down. Cham watched in relief as the boy happily hugged the soft animal close and shut his eyes at last.

"Good thinking, you'll make a grandfather yet", Numa patted his shoulder.

He sighed heavily and drooped his shoulders, "I think we'd better leave him for now, I don't want to risk waking him up again."

"Good idea", Numa agreed. "Get some rest yourself."

They quietly tip-toed to the door, making doubly sure not to make any noise that could wake him again. A weary but relieved Cham stopped in the doorway and watched his grandson for a moment, smiling at the precious child, before slipping out of the room.

* * *

Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes was how long he had before the familiar wails started sounding through the wall. Cham had been hoping to get some work done but had barely looked over one report before he heard Jacen crying again.

Cursing under his breath, he set the datapad down and reached for his comm. "Numa?"

"I hear it", she replied instantly, "I'll be there now."

Cham left his room and went straight to the next room. Sure enough, the baby was kicking about in the bed, the tooka wet with tears.

"Oh, my poor child", Cham rushed to the bed and knelt down over him, "What's wrong?"

Numa walked through the door and joined him, "What is it now?"

"I don't know", his voice was already exhausted, "He just started a minute ago."

"Maybe he was lonely, didn't Hera say he liked company?"

Cham reached over and held the baby's hand in his own, "We're here, no need to cry. Your grandfather is here."

The boy wiggled out of the grasp and kept shrieking as loud as he could.

Numa pinched the bridge of her nose, "I don't know. Try making him laugh?"

"How do I do that?", he stared hopelessly at her.

"I don't know! Make a funny face or something."

Cham breathed in heavily and looked at his grandson. Then, he stuck his tongue out and wiggled his lekku as wildly as he could. Cham Syndulla, hero of Ryloth and liberator of the Twi'lek people felt like a circus clown. He pulled another face, contorting his mouth, eyes and lekku into whatever face he could think of. When that didn't work, he tried hiding his face behind his hands and then popping out with another weird face. It was no use.

"I should have recorded that", Numa giggled.

"Yes, yes, very funny", Cham said unhappily. "It still didn't work."

He tried again with more exaggerated faces and weird noises but the crying started getting louder.

Numa patted his shoulder, "Stop it, you're scaring him!"

He groaned back in his chair. "Wait", he leaned up to the shelf by the bedside and reached for another toy.

"You can't just throw toys at him!", Numa protested.

"It worked last time!", he placed another stuffed animal by the boy's side. This time the boy didn't even notice it and the tears kept coming.

"I see you're having trouble", a voice came from the door.

"Gobi!", Cham stood up, "Where have you been?"

Gobi had a full bag in his hand, "Human milk is hard to find on Ryloth."

He set the bag on a table and pulled out a full bottle for Jacen. He calmly walked over and brushed Numa out of the way.

"Good luck, we've tried everything", Numa grumbled and stepped back.

They watched as Gobi scooped the crying boy up in his arms and slowly moved the bottle to his mouth. "Here you are, young one. No need to cry, it's alright."

Jacen stopped thrashing and the whining stopped as he took the bottle in his mouth. Numa and Cham watched in amazement as Jacen went quiet almost instantly and contently settled in Gobi's arms.

"How- how did you do that?", Cham stared open-mouthed at him.

Gobi smiled, "He was only hungry, Cham. You've got a lot to learn about children."

Cham nodded and gave a relieved sigh, "Well, maybe you can teach me."

When Jacen was done, Gobi placed the bottle gently down on the side and rocked the baby slowly in his arms. Numa and Cham just stood there as Gobi effortlessly lulled him back to sleep before tucking him into bed. With him settled, Gobi took the empty bottle and picked up the bag of milk along with it.

"You know what?", Cham said as they left Jacen to sleep quietly, "I think we'll be fine."

* * *

The two weeks were some of the most restless and tiresome Cham had been through, even counting a few decades of his revolutionary career. Sleepless nights, constant crying, cleaning, fussing and worrying were typical for every day that Jacen was with them. Despite that, as Cham held Jacen in his arms watching the Ghost fly low onto the Syndulla Estate, he was anything but happy to see Jacen go.

"Looks like your mother is here, she'll be happy to see you", he cooed to the boy, atill clutching the stuffed tooka that he'd become so fond of.

Numa and Gobi stood over his shoulder, saying their own farewells to their small friend. Cham couldn't have done it without them and they'd all more than earned a rest now.

"I hope you all aren't too exhausted", Hera grinned as she stepped down the ramp.

"Daughter, I trust your mission went well."

"It did, thank you", Hera stopped in front of them and looked at their exhausted faces, "I did warn you didn't I?"

Cham shrugged it off, "What? No, it was fine. No problem at all."

Her daughter gave him a knowing smile, "Right..." She pointed to the tooka that Jacen was cuddling up to, "Loves it as much as I did."

"You're more alike than you know. Especially with all the crying and whining", Cham laughed and his daughter rolled her eyes.

"Well...", Hera held out her hands to her son, "I can't say thank you enough."

"Anytime, daughter. I think Gobi and Numa will love to see almost as much as I would."

"It's been great having him, Hera", Numa said.

Gobi agreed, "More than happy to help."

"Thank you, both of you", Hera smiled as Cham passed Jacen to her.

Before he let go, Jacen's hand caught on Cham's. His bright blue eyes and happy smile were enough to warm his old warrior heart and the boy held onto his grandfather for a moment longer.

Hera laughed, "I think he likes you."

"I hope so", he gently brushed the boy's hand with his finger, "I'll see you soon, little one."

The baby slowly released his hold and nestled into his mother. With one last hug, his daughter disappeared back on the Ghost with Jacen drifting easily off to sleep in her arms. Cham wished he knew how to make him do that. _Ah well, I'll figure it out next time._

* * *

 **A very different fic to what I usually do. Not even a mention of Ezra or Sabine this time, I think that's a first for me.** **'Chini, ma sareen' actually translates to "Come, my sweet", and it's about the only bit of canon Twi'leki/Ryl I could use for a lullaby.**

 **I've got two more chapters planned for this, one more jokey one and then another more serious one. I might do them soon or I might do them much later but they'll come some time.**


End file.
